General English courses Enrol now
Overview
Our General English and Intensive English courses are designed to help students make rapid progress in English, and focus on the four key language skills – reading, writing, listening and speaking – with lots of additional work on vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.
The courses are 15 hours per week, 20 hours per week or 30 hours per week*.
*Academic hours: each academic hour = 50 minutes class time
Academic profile
Our Academic team continually reviews the syllabus to ensure our lessons are fresh, modern and relevant to today’s international topics. In class we use the most recent up-to-date editions of textbooks by leading British academic publishers, while our teachers are experienced and very highly-qualified, and include PhD-holders from Oxford and Harvard universities. See our most recent ISI inspection summary
There are progress tests for all students every two weeks, enabling our teachers to closely monitor learning and to guide and support each student more effectively. There are also fortnightly tutorials, during which individual learning targets are discussed and reviewed.
International mix
Every year students from more than 70 different countries join our General English courses, so you'll be in good company. Our students make lifelong friends from all over the world, learn about other cultures, receive invitations to visit countries they’ve never been to before and, best of all, get lots of practice in listening and speaking English!
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Continuous enrolment
Students can join our school on any Monday, and can study as long as they wish. Our courses are structured so that new students slot in seamlessly, immediately taking their places in the class and participating in class activities with their new classmates.
Some students study for as little as one week, some for one year or more. It simply depends on the student and his/her needs.
Age range of students
Most of the students in our General English and Intensive English courses are age 18 – 25, and many of these are current undergraduates or recent graduates aiming to improve their English for their university courses or professional careers. We also have a significant number of gap-year students, focusing on improving their English before university. Professionals and students already in higher education also attend courses at OSE.
In the school holidays especially, we also always have students age 16 – 17 (our minimum age is 16), eager to expand their English skills for high school or university entrance.
More mature students are of course always welcome too, and older people from huge range of professional backgrounds – doctors, lawyers, accountants, civil servants and more, as well as housewives and people who have retired – join courses in our school each year. The inclusive structure and layout of the school mean that everyone feels welcome and at home.
Can you guess the age of our two oldest ever students? to find out!
Class sizes
Our classes are small, with a maximum of 15 students. In the lower and higher levels, there are often only 6 – 8 students per class.
Class levels
We have classes at 8 different levels:
- A0 (Beginner)
- A1 (Elementary)
- A2 (Pre-Intermediate)
- B1 (Intermediate)
- B2 (Upper Intermediate)
- B2E (Upper Intermediate exam class)
- C1 (Advanced)
- C2 (Proficiency)
All new students are asked to complete our online placement test or are tested on their first morning in the school, to check their level.
Please note that students at Beginner level are accepted on specific dates only.
Universities in the UK
Most of our students return to their own countries at the end of their English course, but a proportion of them go on to study at university here in the UK (often Oxford).
We have close and long-standing relationships with specific UK universities, especially Oxford Brookes University, and our Academic team is always on hand to provide in-depth help and advice to students aiming to move on to Foundation, Undergraduate or Postgraduate courses.
Social programme
The school has an extensive social programme, with weekly evening events and a choice of excursions each weekend.
Evening events include Pub Night every Thursday (our most popular activity, usually with 40-50 students and teachers and in the summer as many as 130!); and weekend excursions include trips to Scotland, Paris and Amsterdam as well as London, Brighton, Bath & Stonehenge.
Timetables
Lessons are Monday to Friday, although it is also possible for some students to study part-time.
General English 15 (mornings)
09:30 – 10:45 | Lesson 1 |
10:45 – 11:15 | Break in our student lounge |
11:15 – 12:30 | Lesson 2 |
General English 15 (afternoons)
14:30 – 16:00 | Lesson 1 |
16:00 – 16:15 | Break in our student lounge |
16:15 – 17:15 | Lesson 2 |
General English 20
09:30 – 10:45 | Lesson 1 |
10:45 – 11:15 | Break in our student lounge |
11:15 – 12:30 | Lesson 2 |
12:30 – 12:45 | Break in our student lounge |
12:45 – 13:35 | Lesson 3 |
Intensive timetables
Intensive English 30
09:30 – 10:45 | Lesson 1 |
10:45 – 11:15 | Break in our student lounge |
11:15 – 12:30 | Lesson 2 |
12:30 – 14:30 | Lunch at local cafes/shops |
14:30 – 16:00 | Lesson 1 |
16:00 – 16:15 | Break in our student lounge |
16:15 – 17:15 | Lesson 2 |
Intensive English 30 students at B2 level and above are able to attend the afternoon Fluency class, when their timetable changes to the following:
09:30 – 10:45 | Lesson 1 |
10:45 – 11:15 | Break in our student lounge |
11:15 – 12:30 | Lesson 2 |
12:30 – 12:45 | Break in our student lounge |
12:45 – 13:35 | Lesson 3 |
13:35 – 14:30 | Lunch at local cafes/shops |
14:30 – 16:00 | Lesson 4 |